Process for producing shaped article of oriented calcium phosphate type compound

ABSTRACT

An oriented shaped article of a calcium phosphate type compound is disclosed, in which at least two crystallographic axes of the primary particles of which the shaped article is composed each is oriented in one direction, respectively, in at least the surface of said article. A sinter of the oriented shaped article and a processes for producing the article and the sinter are also disclosed.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/407,009, filed Sep.14, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,009.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to shaped articles of calcium phosphatetype compounds useful as biomaterials (e.g., artificial teeth and bones)or as materials for humidity sensors, filters or IC substrates. Thepresent invention also relates to sinters of these shaped articles andprocesses for producing the shaped articles and the sinters.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Due to their high biocompatibility, calcium phosphate type ceramics haveconventionally been used as biomaterials such as artificial tooth rootsand bones. Because the crystal particles (primary particles) of theseceramics are unoriented and these ceramics are unorientedpolycrystalline bodies, the mechanical properties of these ceramics areisotropic. When these ceramics are placed under stress, the propagationof a fracture will travel over the shortest distance irrespective of thedirection in which the stress is applied and the surface energy for afracture becomes so small that it will eventually cause a reduction inthe fracture toughness of a shaped article of these ceramics and hencesinters thereof. Attempts have been made to increase the strength ofthese ceramics by sintering them for high density after performing asuitable treatment such as HIP (hot isotactic press), but no success hasbeen achieved in improving their fracture toughness (as described, e.g.,in Preprints of Annual Meeting of the Ceramics Society of Japan 1984,3G10, pp. 939, published on May 14, 1984).

Hydroxyapatite which is in the class of calcium phosphate type compoundshas ionic conductivity and research has been undertaken to study its useas an electronic material in devices such as humidity sensors. However,conventional hydroxyapatite ceramics are also isotropic with respect toelectrical properties, and conduction ions in the ceramics are diffusedat grain boundaries, making it impossible to provide satisfactoryconductivity to the ceramics (As described, e.g., in Preprints of 2ndApatite Meeting, pp. 22, published on Dec. 1, 1986).

In order to exploit the above various properties of calcium phosphatetype ceramics in an advantageous way, it is necessary that shapedarticles or sinters thereof have anisotropy. The ideal method formeeting this need would be to use single crystals of these ceramics.However, it is generally difficult to prepare large single crystals ofcalcium phosphate, and, in fact, no report has been published thatdescribes success in preparing large single crystals of calciumphosphate.

In order to attain anisotropy for various properties of shaped articlesand sinters, it is nessesary that at least two crystallographic axes orat least two crystal faces each must be oriented in one direction,respectively. For example, in tubular bones of animals, the c axis ofapatite crystals in the bone is oriented in the direction parallel tothe longitudinal direction of the bone, and the a axis thereof isoriented in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction ofthe bone, by which the anisotropy of the mechanical properties isattained.

Hydroxyapatite sinters in which one crystal face of the crystallineparticles is oriented by hot-pressing has been reported in Preprints ofAnnual Meeting of the Ceramic Society of Japan 1984, A-72, pp. 511,published on May 14, 1984. In this method, because tabular (platelike)crystals are used, the (h00) plane is oriented in the pressingdirection, but there is no research whether other planes (such as the(00l) plane) are oriented in one direction. Therefore, it is unknownwhether sinters having anisotropy for mechanical properties are obtainedby this method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present inventors therefore conducted intensive studies in order todevelop calcium phosphate type ceramics in which the crystal grains(i.e., the primary particles) are oriented in one direction and thussucceeded in reaching the present invention.

One object of the present invention is to provide a shaped article of anoriented calcium phosphate type compound.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sinter of ashaped article of an oriented calcium phosphate type compound.

A further object of the present invention is to provide processes forproducing such a shaped article and the sinter.

Other objects and effects of the present invention will be more apparentfrom the following description.

The present invention provides a shaped article of a calcium phosphatetype compound in which at least two crystallographic axes of the primaryparticles which make up the shaped article each is oriented in onedirection, respectively, in at least the surface of the article. Suchorientation can be throughout the entire article.

Such an oriented shaped article of a phosphate type compound can beproduced by a process which comprises mixing an organic binder and wateror an organic solvent with a powdered calcium phosphate type compoundcomprising rod-shaped crystal grains extending in the direction of onecrystallographic axis thereof, kneading the mixed components, andextruding the resulting clay-like composition in a specified directionto shape the composition.

The present invention also provides an oriented sinter of a calciumphosphate type compound in which at least two crystallographic axes ofthe primary particles which make up the sinter each is oriented in onedirection, respectively, in at least the surface of the sinter. Theentire sinter can be oriented.

Such an oriented sinter of a calcium phosphate type compound can beproduced by a process comprising mixing an organic binder and water oran organic solvent with a powdered calcium phosphate type compoundcomprising rod-shaped crystal grains extending in the direction of onecrystallographic axis, kneading the mixed components, extruding theresulting clay-like composition in a specified direction to shape thecomposition, thermally decomposing the organic binder, and firing theshaped article at a temperature of from 900° to 1,400° C.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an X-ray diffraction scan for the shaped article prepared inExample 1;

FIG. 2 is an X-ray diffraction scan for the shaped article prepared inExample 1 after it was pulverized;

FIG. 3 is an X-ray diffraction scan for the shaped article prepared inExample 2;

FIG. 4 is an X-ray diffraction scan for the shaped article prepared inExample 2 after it was pulverized;

FIG. 5 is an X-ray diffraction scan for the shaped article prepared inExample 3; and

FIG. 6 is an X-ray diffraction scan for the shaped article prepared inExample 3 after it was pulverized.

FIG. 7 is an X-ray diffraction scan for the plane parallel to themolding direction of the shaped article prepared in Example 4.

FIG. 8 is an X-ray diffraction scan for the plane perpendicular to themolding direction of the shaped article prepared in Example 4.

FIG. 9 is an X-ray diffraction scan for the shaped article prepared inExample 4 after it was pulverized.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Examples of the calcium phosphate type compound of the present inventioninclude hydroxyapatite, fluoroapatite, chloroapatite and tricalciumphosphate.

A commonly employed method for orienting grains in the direction of acertain crystallographic axis is by utilizing the electric or magneticpolarity of the grains. This method, however, is not highly effective inorienting the crystals of calcium phosphate type compounds because theirpolarity is rather low.

If calcium phosphate type compounds are synthesized by a wet methodunder properly selected conditions, it is possible to prepare rod-likecrystal grains that are elongate in the direction of the c-axis asdescribed in J. Am. Chem. Soc., Oct. 25, 1967, pp. 5535-5541. Forinstance, such grains can be synthesized by mixing a calcium compoundwith a phosphoric acid compound, the pH of the reaction solution beingadjusted to either neutral or alkaline with the temperature held in therange of from 10° to 100° C. The ratio of the long axis to the shortaxis of the rod-like grains is preferably 1.1 or more, more preferably1.5 or more, and particularly preferably 2.0 or more.

The present inventors found that when the thus prepared rod-like grainswere placed in a flowing fluid, they could be oriented in the directionin which the fluid was flowing.

These rod-shaped crystal grains (primary particles) can form secondaryparticles when the slurry is dried. The secondary particles as such willnot be oriented if they are subjected to shaping, so it is necessary topulverize the secondary particles into primary particles by a suitablemethod such as a jet-mill attrition process and a supersonic millattrition process.

The secondary particles of a calcium phosphate type compound can bepulverized into primary particles when they are mixed with an organicbinder and water or an organic solvent. If the slurry is not dried butis subjected to filtration, no secondary particles will form and thesynthesized crystal grains may be directly used without beingpulverized.

Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, the rod-shapedcrystal grains of a calcium phosphate type compound are used as astarting powder, which is mixed with suitable amounts of aheat-decomposable organic binder and water or an organic solvent, aswell as optionally with other additives such as a dispersant and aplasticizer. The ingredients are kneaded and the resulting clay-likecomposition is extruded to shape the same.

Various kinds of heat-decomposable organic binders and dispersants maybe used without any particular limitation and illustrative examplesinclude organic high-molecular weight compounds and sublimable solidsubstances. Specific examples of the binders include methyl cellulose,butyl methacrylate, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers and pullulan.Illustrative organic solvents include various kinds of alcohols,hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, ethers, ketones and esters.

Any shaping method can be used as long as it permits the composition tobe given the desired shape as it is extruded in a specified direction.Illustrative examples are extrusion molding, extrusion spinning anddoctor blading as well as injection molding. If injection molding isused, the desired orientation can be achieved by shaping the compositionwith a mold having a structure which permits the molding compositionwhich is being fed to flow in a specified direction. In the doctorblading, the grains being shaped are subjected to a smaller force thanin other shaping methods. It is therefore necessary that thedispersability of the ceramic particles in the composition be increasedto make it less viscous. As the spinning method, those described inJP-A-61-106166 can be employed.

In the case where extrusion molding is employed, the molding pressure ispreferably from 0.2 to 500 kg/cm². In the case where injection moldingis employed, the molding pressure is preferably from 500 to 3,000kg/cm².

The shaped article, in which the crystallographic axes are oriented onlyin the surface of the article, can be prepared, e.g., by extrusionmolding in which the composition is extruded at a relatively lowpressure through a die having a large diameter. By using such moldingconditions, the inside part of the shaped article becomes less orientedbecause of a small stress during the molding. The sinter, in which thecrystallographic axes are oriented only in the surface of the sinter,can be prepared by sintering such a shaped article.

The resulting shaped article is heated to decompose and thereby removethe organic binder and other organic substances by a conventionalmethod. Subsequently, the article is fired by a conventional method,e.g., at a temperature of from 900° to 1,400° C. to make a sinter thatis dense and that has satisfactory strength.

The following examples are provided for the purpose of furtherillustrating the present invention but are in no way to be taken aslimiting. In the examples, all "parts" and "percentages" are on a weightbasis unless otherwise noted.

EXAMPLE 1

A slurry of hydroxyapatite synthesized by a conventional wet method (asdescribed in J. Am. Chem. Soc., Oct. 25, 1967, pp. 5535-5541) wasspray-dried to make a powder having an average particle size of about 7μm. Observation under a scanning electron microscope showed that thepowder was composed of spherical secondary particles which were denseagglomerations of elongate primary grains having a width of from 200 to500 Å and length of about 1,000 Å. These particles were calcined at 700°C. for 4 hours and pulverized with a supersonic mill (product of NipponPneumatic Co., Ltd.) to obtain a fine powder having an average particlesize of about 1 μm. This fine powder (feed powder) was used as astarting material for the next shaping step.

The fine powder prepared above (100 parts), water (45 parts), butylalcohol (5 parts), methyl cellulose (7 parts), a wax (paraffin) emulsion(40% solid content; 1.5 parts) and a stearic acid emulsion (20% solidcontent; 1.5 parts) were mixed and kneaded to form a homogeneousclay-like composition. By mixing and kneading, the fine powder wascompletely pulverized into primary particles. The composition wasextrusion-molded to form a cylinder, a hollow cylinder and a honeycomb.The molding pressure depended on the shape of the articles, and wasabout 30 kg/cm² for the cylinder, about 50 kg/cm² for the hollowcylinder, or about 75 kg/cm² for the honeycomb. The shaped articles weredried at room temperature, heated in a degreasing furnace at 700° C. todecompose and remove any residual organic substance in the article, andsintered at 1,200° C. in a box-shaped electric furnace.

The result of X-ray diffractiometry for the surface of each shapedarticle is shown in FIG. 1, and the result of X-ray diffractiometry foreach article after it was pulverized in a mortar is shown in FIG. 2. Ineach figure, the open circle represents the diffraction peak for the(300) face and the solid circle represents the diffraction peak for the(002) face. X-ray diffractiometry was performed at 40 kV and 100 mAusing CuKα. When the surfaces of the shaped articles were directlymeasured, the diffraction intensity from the (300) face was higher thanwhen the pulverized samples were measured. On the other hand, thediffraction intensity from the (002) face was lower in the intact shapedsamples than in the pulverized samples. This shows the presence oforientation in the shaped articles.

The "degree of orientation" of hydroxyapatite as defined below is shownin Table 1 for each sample. As one can see from Table 1, the sinters ofthe shaped articles prepared in Example 1 had the c-axis of the primaryparticles oriented in the direction of extrusion. However, thepulverized products of these sinters showed no appreciable orientationand the relative intensities of individual diffraction lines were inaccord with the data of ASTM 24-33.

The "degree of orientation" of hydroxyapatite as used herein is definedby ##EQU1## wherein I.sub.(300) is the diffraction intensity from the(300) face of a sample, and I.sub.(002) is the diffraction intensityfrom the (002) face of the sample. The ASTM value for I.sub.(300)/I.sub.(002) is 1.5.

EXAMPLE 2

Using the powder feed prepared in Example 1, a composition of thefollowing recipe was produced:

    ______________________________________                                                           Amount                                                     Composition        (parts)                                                    ______________________________________                                        Fine powder prepared in                                                                          100                                                        Example 1                                                                     Butyl methacrylate 12.5                                                       Ethylene-Vinyl acetate                                                                           9                                                          copolymer                                                                     Wax emulsion       9.5                                                        Dibutyl phthalate  3                                                          Stearic acid       1.5                                                        ______________________________________                                    

The composition thus produced was kneaded as in Example 1 and wasinjection molded at an injection pressure of 1,500 kg/cm² in a platemold such that the composition flowed in the direction parallel to theplate mold to produce an article in a plate form.

The shaped article was placed in a degreasing furnace and heated whileincreasing the temperature at a rate of 1.5° C./hour, followed byholding at 700° C. for 10 hours. After degreasing, the article wassintered at 1,200° C.

The result of X-ray diffractometry on the shaped article is shown inFIG. 3 and the result of X-ray diffractometry for the pulverized productof the shaped article is shown in FIG. 4. As is clear from these resultsand from the data shown in Table 1, the shaped article produced inExample 2 had grain orientation as in Example 1.

EXAMPLE 3

A slurry containing 4% hydroxyapatite particles (based on total slurryweight) with a width of from 200 to 500 and a length of about 1,000 Åwas obtained by a conventional wet method of synthesis (as described inJ. Am. Chem. Soc., Oct. 25, 1967, pp. 5535-5541). The slurry wasconcentrated by filtration, and the following composition was obtained.

    ______________________________________                                        Composition     Amount                                                        ______________________________________                                        Hydroxyapatite  40%                                                           Water           50%                                                           Pullulan        10%                                                           ______________________________________                                    

The composition containing the thus synthesized rod-shaped crystals ofhydroxyapatite, a binder and water was spun by extrusion through an airnozzle (diameter: 0.3 mm) at an air pressure of 900 mmH₂ O according toJP-A-61-106166, and dried with hot air at 300° C. to form a gauze-likeshaped article. The dried article was sintered at 1,100° C. for 4 hoursand subjected to X-ray diffractiometry to check for the occurrence oforientation. When an unpulverized sample of the gauze-like article wasloaded in a glass sample holder, grain orientation was observed in thesame manner as in Examples 1 and 2.

The result of X-ray diffractometry on the shaped article is shown inFIG. 5 and the result of an X-ray diffractometry for the pulverizedproduct of the article is shown in FIG. 6. As is clear from these scansand from the data shown in Table 1, the shaped article produced inExample 3 had grain orientation as in Example 1.

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                        Sample             Degree of orientation                                      ______________________________________                                        Example 1                                                                              shaped article                                                                              3.02                                                   Example 1                                                                              pulverized product                                                                          0.05                                                   Example 2                                                                              shaped article                                                                              1.94                                                   Example 2                                                                              pulverized product                                                                          0.15                                                   Example 3                                                                              shaped article                                                                              10.52                                                  Example 3                                                                              pulverized product                                                                          0.51                                                   ______________________________________                                    

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1

A sinter was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that thepowder synthesized, dried and calcined as in Example 1 was immediatelyused without being pulverized by jet milling. X-ray diffraction analysisof the surface of the sinter showed no grain orientation. This would bebecause the diameter of the secondary particles in the powder was solarge that precluded the orientation of primary particles duringshaping.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2

A sinter was produced in the same manner as in Example 2 except thatshaping was performed with a cubic mold in place of the plate mold.X-ray diffraction analysis of the surface of the sinter showed no grainorientation. This would be because a mold having a larger cross sectionthan the length of the final shaped article caused the injectedcomposition to diffuse without having the grains oriented.

EXAMPLE 4

An hydroxyapatite cylinderical molded article, which was molded, driedand degreased in the same manner as in Example 1, was fired at 1,100° C.to obtain a sinter. The sinter was cut in the direction parallel to themolding direction or in the direction perpendicular to the moldingdirection. The cut surfaces were polished and measured for X-raydiffraction scans. The X-ray diffraction scan for the cut surfaceparallel to the molding direction is shown in FIG. 7. The X-raydiffraction scan for the cut surface perpendicular to the moldingdirection is shown in FIG. 8. Separately, the sinter was pulverized in amortar and measured for an X-ray diffraction scan which is shown in FIG.9.

From the diffraction intensity for the (300) face (I.sub.(300)) which isparallel to the c axis and the diffraction intensity for the (002) face(I.sub.(002)) which is perpendicular to the o axis, it was found thatthe ratios of I.sub.(300) /I.sub.(002) were 2.87, 1.03 and 1.67 forFIGS. 7, 8 and 9, respectively.

It is understood from the above results that the a axis of the primaryparticles of this sinter was oriented in the direction perpendicular tothe molding direction, and the c axis was oriented in the directionparallel to the molding direction.

EXAMPLE 5

An hydroxyapatite plate-like molded article, which was molded, dried anddegreased in the same manner as in Example 4, was fired at 1,100° C. toobtain a sinter. From the measurement of X-ray diffraction scans, it wasfound that the sinter had the same orientation properties as in thesinter obtained in Example 4.

The sinter was cut into a dimension of 3×4×40 mm, and the cut surfaceswere mirror-polished followed by annealing at 1,050° C. for 2 hours inthe air. The cut direction was determined such that the longitudinaldirection of the cut specimen became parallel or perpendicular to themolding direction. The specimen in which the longitudinal direction isparallel to the molding direction was designated Sample A, and thespecimen in which the longitudinal direction is perpendicular to themolding direction was designated Sample B.

Samples A and B were measured for the following mechanical properties.

(1) Hardness

The hardness was measured by the Vickers method at a load of 300 g. Thepenetrator was penetrated in the face parallel to the orientationdirection in Sample A, and in the face perpendicular to the orientationdirection in Sample B.

(2) Fracture toughness (K_(1C))

The breaking toughness (K_(1C)) was measured by the IM method andNiihara's equation using the dents formed upon measuring the hardness.

(3) Bending strength

The bending strength was measured by the three-points method accordingto JIS R1601.

(4) Modulus of elasticity

The modulus of elasticity was measured by a bending load method using astrain gauge.

The results obtained are shown in Table 2 below. The values in Table 2are the average values and 95% confidence intervals for 10 specimens.

                  TABLE 2                                                         ______________________________________                                                        Fracture   Bending  Modulus of                                       Hardness toughness  strength elasticity                                Sample (GPa)    (MPam.sup.1/2)                                                                           (MPa)    (GPa)                                     ______________________________________                                        A      5.0 ± 0.4                                                                           0.74 ± 0.05                                                                           99.8 ± 21.9                                                                         114.3 ± 6.4                            B      4.6 ± 0.2                                                                           0.63 ± 0.05                                                                           85.2 ± 11.0                                                                         121.9 ± 8.1                            ______________________________________                                    

It was found from the variance analysis of the results in Table 2 thatsignificant differences between Samples A and B was 95% for hardness and99% for fracture toughness. Therefore, the sinters of the presentinvention have anisotropy for mechanical properties.

In accordance with the present invention, a certain crystallographicaxis of the primary particles in at least the surface or the entireportion of the shaped article to be produced can be oriented in onedirection by a simple method. The shaped article of a calcium phosphatecalcium compound or the sinter thereof which is produced by the presentinvention has grain orientation so that their mechanical, electrical andchemical properties are sufficiently anisotropic to provide improvedcharacteristics over conventional materials. Further, the shaped articleand sinter thereof are improved in fracture toughness.

While the invention has been described in detail and with reference tospecific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in theart that various changes and modifications can be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for producing an oriented shapedarticle of a calcium phosphate compound, which process comprises: mixingan organic binder and water or an organic solvent with a powder of acalcium phosphate compound comprising rod-shaped crystal grainsextending in the direction of one crystallographic axis thereof,kneading the mixed components, and extruding the resulting compositionin a specified direction to shape said composition.
 2. The process ofclaim 1, wherein at least two crystallographic axes of primary particlesof which said oriented shaped article is composed each is oriented inone direction, respectively, in at least the surface of said article. 3.The process of claim 2, wherein said at least two crystallographic axesof the primary particles of which said oriented shaped article iscomposed each is oriented in one direction, respectively, in the entireportion of said article.
 4. The process of claim 1, wherein the calciumphosphate compound is hydroxyapatite.
 5. The process of claim 1, wherethe extruding is extrusion molding at a molding pressure of from 0.2 to500 kg/cm².
 6. The process of claim 1, wherein the extruding isinjection molding at a molding pressure of from 500 to 3,000 kg/cm². 7.The process of claim 1, wherein the composition which is extrudedcomprises hydroxyapatite, water, butyl alcohol, methyl cellulose, a waxemulsion and a stearic acid emulsion.
 8. The process of claim 1, whereinthe composition which is extruded comprises hydroxyapatite, butylmethacrylate, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, a wax emulsion,dibutyl phthalate and stearic acid.
 9. A process for producing anoriented sinter of a calcium phosphate compound, which processcomprises: mixing an organic binder and water or an organic solvent withpowder of the calcium phosphate compound comprising rod-shaped crystalgrains extending in the direction of one crystallographic axis thereof,kneading the mixed components, extruding the resulting composition in aspecified direction to shape said composition, thermally decomposing theorganic binder, and firing the shaped article at a temperature of from900° to 1,400° C.
 10. The process of claim 9, wherein at least twocrystallographic axes of primary particles of which said oriented shapedsinter is composed each is oriented in one direction, respectively, inat least the surface of said sinter.
 11. The process of claim 10,wherein said at least two crystallographic axes of the primary particlesof which said oriented shaped sinter is composed each is oriented in onedirection, respectively, in the entire portion of said sinter.
 12. Theprocess of claim 9, wherein the calcium phosphate compound ishydroxyapatite.
 13. The process of claim 9, where the extruding isextrusion molding at a molding pressure of from 0.2 to 500 kg/cm². 14.The process of claim 9, wherein the extruding is injection molding at amolding pressure of rom 500 to 3,000 kg/cm².
 15. The process of claim 9,wherein the composition which is extruded comprises hydroxyapatite,water, butyl alcohol, methyl cellulose, a wax emulsion and a stearicacid emulsion.
 16. The process of claim 9, wherein the composition whichis extruded comprises hydroxyapatite, butyl methacrylate, anethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, a wax emulsion, dibutyl phthalate andstearic acid.